How do you know when to start flushing?

Hey All,

As i am sure some of you can agree, breeder flower time recommendations are almost always wrong - generally too short.

Rule of thumb is to start flushing 2 weeks before harvest, however is there any physical indication of when to start flushing? Should i start flushing when trichomes are at a certain color?

Thanks

ninjagaiden said:

Hey All,

As i am sure some of you can agree, breeder flower time recommendations are almost always wrong - generally too short.

Rule of thumb is to start flushing 2 weeks before harvest, however is there any physical indication of when to start flushing? Should i start flushing when trichomes are at a certain color?

Thanks

Click to expand...

I like to start the flush when the trichs start to get cloudy and even get a little amber; My strains are big bud, rocklock, sour kush and lemon skunk....Also, I like to let them go as long as possible.

I don't flush. It's a waste of time...

Sure, its not necessary to flush if you're growing organically, but I've been using the Foxfarm chemical program successfully for years, and the manufacturer's opinion is to ALWAYS flush. Using my wife as a guinea pig, I did a blind taste/smoke testing. Some of it had been flushed for about 2 weeks, and some of it had only been flushed one time. All other processes were the same (harvesting, curing, etc.), and she kept asking me "why," when she took a hit of the once-flushed bud, did her nose burn so badly. She claimed that she also tasted something acidic in those particular buds. Sounds pretty scientific to me, but its also a personal preference.

To me, 2 weeks is overkill and stresses the plant. I stopped noticing a difference in taste after 1 week in soil. In hydro 4-5 days flush is plenty. A lot of folks will argue, but I've been growing for a long time and have used many a guinea pig for testing. The only time I would recommend a full 2 week flush is if there has been nutrient burn and buildup in the leaves. In the end it all comes down to personal taste, and how the bud was dried and cured. Some folks don't mind the harsh taste of nutrient buildup bud.

Ed Rosenthal says in his new book to harvest when trichomes are standing up full. not changing color yet. when the color changes that is THC degrade down to CBL, and CBN, which not as powerfull as THC.

ninjagaiden said:

Hey All,

As i am sure some of you can agree, breeder flower time recommendations are almost always wrong - generally too short.

Rule of thumb is to start flushing 2 weeks before harvest, however is there any physical indication of when to start flushing? Should i start flushing when trichomes are at a certain color?

Thanks

Click to expand...

If your buds smell like nutes then you know it's time to start flushing. However, if you didn't make the mistake of overfeeding then there is no need to flush. People have their own opinions on this subject but those opinions are usually from outdated 'how to grow cannabis' books. Read your plants and feed them what they need at all times. If you are successful at doing this, you'll find that the nutrient needs of a plant near harvest-time are about 20-40% lower than peak levels and those 'peak' levels shouldn't be that high to begin with.